asK tHE ExPErt
drE baldWiN
by KElly HEitz
Sometimes all it takes is hard work and a lot of
discipline. Former professional basketball player
and 2017 ISPA conference & Expo speaker, dre
baldwin, is a living, breathing testament to that
fact. As an author and speaker, Baldwin travels
the country working with everyone from aspiring
athletes to business leaders to provide direction
and guidance for accomplishing their dreams. In
this month’s Ask the Expert, we asked Baldwin
about how basketball got him to where he is
today and what it will take for spa leaders to
aspire their own teams to greatness.
Pulse: What did basketball teach you about discipline?
basketball contract. My blind faith in discipline had paid off.
Baldwin: I started playing basketball at age 14. And I sucked.
That’s how I know discipline can work for anyone, anywhere.
All the neighborhood players—older and younger, male and
female—were better than me. Where I’m from in Philadelphia,
P: Why do you think that kind of discipline is so hard to
if you were a bum in basketball—garbage, as we’d say—they’d
conjure today?
let you know about it.
B: These days, with many more possible distractions available
Well, being new to the game, I didn’t expect to be good
to us, the very traits—discipline, focus, sticking to the script
immediately. I would come to the park and play every day,
amongst the chaos, eschewing shortcuts—I discovered by
like everyone else did, and improve over time. This logic
accident are now at a premium. Finding people who share
had one problem, though: the other players out
these traits is an even more challenging task.
there at the park were playing every day, too.
How could I possibly catch up to, or even
P: You talk a lot about defeating the third
for more
surpass them, if all I did was the same as
day. What exactly does that mean?
on dre, check
what they did? I needed a better plan.
B: If you’ve ever taken an exercise “vacation”
out his blog and
I started going to the court in the
and returned to the gym, you’ve been face to
several ebooks at
morning and early afternoon, when no one
face with the third day. On day one, you’re
dreallday.com.
else was there. I started practicing twice as
excited, albeit maybe a little nervous. You
much and twice as hard as every other kid.
haven’t done his in a while, but it’s a new, positive
Now, this is 1996—there were no YouTube videos,
activity you’re happy to add to your life. You lace up
Instagram stories or blog posts telling me that this show-
those brand-new gym shoes, fill up that brand-new water
up-more-often strategy would work. This was just a
bottle and get to it.
14-year-old kid trying to get good at basketball. I didn’t know
Your trainer seems friendly enough and the workout itself
if this discipline would produce any type of results.
kicks your butt, but the novelty of being back in workout
Until it did. At age 23, I signed my first professional
mode overpowers the fatigue you’re feeling.
66
PULSE
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March/April 2018